Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful week! Last weekend, Ryan kicked off his 4th professional season here in Germany. I have to brag (a little) because he started the year off strong by scoring the first goal of the 2018/2019 season and ending with a 3-0 win. To be honest, I am still having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that we have been residents of Europe for that long! I can’t believe how far we have come as a couple and the journey that Ryan has been on as a professional athlete.
To share, or not to share, that is the question
Something I have been wanting to share more of, but sometimes struggle with, is our life in professional soccer. I guess I find it hard to describe our life or place into words all that comes with the life of pro sports. On one hand, Ryan gets to live out his lifelong dream and we both benefit from all the perks we are blessed with. Ryan gets to wake up every morning and do what he loves, we get to live here in Germany and travel through Europe, we’ve met some pretty amazing people, get to see fans come to games with “Malone” on their jerseys, and be able to make a great living by kicking a ball down the field. Sounds pretty great right? And it really is…most of the time!
On the other hand, the life that we live can be the most un-glamourous life you could ever think of! We were thrown into a country without knowing a single word of the native language, we have spent holidays completely alone and away from family, we have been forced to move many times on short notice, spent nights on the floor of empty apartments, missed funerals of family members, struggled to make friends, and have been truly beaten down by the Football Gods. To put it simply, our life is a continuous cycle of really high highs and really low lows. And more than anything else, it’s totally and completely unpredictable. For every victory we celebrate, big or small, there is an equal number of hard times, lonely days, and stressful periods.
The point I’m trying to make is not to brag or complain about the life we live and the cards that we have been dealt. For the sake of full transparency, all I want to do is showcase the truth behind our lives in the world of professional sports: the good, the bad, the ugly, the amazing, and everything else that comes with it!
In Magdeburg, we got to experience Ryan’s first professional game, his first goal, and playing in front of 30,000 fans. However, he also had to experience what it was like to not get resigned at the end of a season. During our second year in Stuttgart, Ryan finally knew what it was like to be a consistent starter on a pro team, but he also went through the drama of being cut along with half of his team mid-contract. And lastly, here in Leipzig, well…all I got is a long list of super positive experiences! I guess we’re still waiting on something negative to happen (haha). Just kidding!
All in all, it may not be easy or even fun all of the time, but our crazy European life is just that…it’s our life. It’s a journey, it’s an adventure, and I wouldn’t trade a single day of this life for anything!
Public Service Announcement
The two most commonly asked questions we get from friends, family, strangers, and fans are 1. Do you like playing professional in Germany, and 2. How did you end up to be where you are today? Well…this is your lucky day people because you are about to find out! Check back each Friday for the next three weeks, where I will be highlighting each of the seasons we’ve completed so far. I’ll be dishing what really went down with each team, how Ryan and I felt throughout the year, and how it all lead us to where we are now!
It’s Game Day for us, as Ryan has game #2 in Berlin this evening. So…I’ll be staying in to watch the game and probably sipping on some rosé to calm my never-ending game jitters (haha)!
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend!
Hope u came back to Magdeburg soon
Maybe one day! You never know, right?
Thnks for your insightful thoughts! I hope your future brings plenty of good times and happiness along your journey! Stay well😎
Happy to provide a bit of entertainment to your day! Thanks so much for your well wishes. Have a great week!
So interesting to read up on your and Ryan’s life together. I am a daughter of old friends of Simone and Ron’s. I babysat for Ryan’s mother when she was a baby. Love following you through Gisele and Simone on Facebook…
It’s great to hear from a family friend! I’m happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed following along so far!
Kate, thank you for your honest words.
I can only imagine how much you both are experiencing.
I travel vicariously through you and love all of the pictures you have shared.
I’m looking forward to the next installment. Peace, Debi
Hey Debi, glad to hear you are enjoying all our photos and stories so far! Have a great week!